Saida Rodriguez-Pagan Movies
A thesp-turned-crook gets a chance at career in movies as well as crime scene investigation in this offbeat action comedy with nods to Raymond Chandler. Harry Lockhart (Robert Downey Jr.) is a struggling New York actor who high-tails it to Los Angeles. Once there, Lockhart winds up at the posh home of the aptly-named homosexual private eye Gay Perry (Val Kilmer) amid a lavish Hollywood party, hoping to score a life-changing role in a Hollywood feature. Harry becomes reacquainted with Harmony (Michelle Monaghan), a girl he had a major crush on in his small-town Indiana high school, who may be a bit more interested in him now than she was years ago. He takes both her and her girlfriend home with him, but - in a moment of drunken stupor - accidentally sleeps with the wrong woman. Meanwhile, when a series of female bodies turns up across L.A., Harry slowly breaks into detective work, mentored by Perry. The biggest twist? Black riffs Adaptation and other films by having Harry (via satirical narration) write the movie while he is living it. Harry assures the audience that unlike Lord of the Rings, this one won't have seventeen endings. Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang marks the first directorial credit for Shane Black, who created the Lethal Weapon franchise. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Downey, Jr., Val Kilmer, (more)
After a bad day at work, a man suddenly gets a new job -- as the world's new Heavenly Father -- in this comedy. Bruce Nolan (Jim Carrey) is a television reporter working in Buffalo, NY, who has been growing increasingly dissatisfied with his existence, and after an especially bad day, he flies into a rage and curses God for making his life miserable. To Bruce's great surprise, the Supreme Being Himself (Morgan Freeman) appears, and tries to convince Bruce of the enormity of his task. Bruce, however, isn't buying it, so God gives him a chance to find out what he's up against; God bestows all of his powers on Bruce for a week, to see how he'd handle things. At first, Bruce has a great time bending the world around him to his will, much to the puzzlement of his girlfriend, Grace (Jennifer Aniston), but after six days God stops by to remind Bruce he hasn't done much to make the Earth a better place. Disappointed, God presents Bruce with an ultimatum -- he has one day to improve the world in a concrete way, or God will toss the planet back into the void. Bruce Almighty was directed by Tom Shadyac, who previously teamed with Jim Carrey for Liar, Liar and Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jim Carrey, Jennifer Aniston, (more)
- 1989
In the first episode of a three-part story, Hunter (Fred Dryer) and McCall (Stepfanie Kramer) are ordered to participate in a police task force to curb a recent upsurge in urban violence. McCall goes undercover as a phy-ed instructor at a tough neighborhood school, replacing a teacher who has been murdered. Though it would seem that the killing has something to do with the various unsavory intrigues within the school itself, the real culprit is an escaped murderer who intends to eliminate all of her enemies in chronoligical order--with Hunter at the top of her list. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1989
In the conclusion of a three-part story, the various intrigues at a violence-ridden high school come to head as McCall (Stepfanie Kramer) settles accounts with a gang leader and a philandering teacher. At the same time, Deputy Chief Moorehead (Robert Vaughn) clashes with McCall's boss Devane (Charles Hallahan) over the matter of a self-styled urban vigilante. And Hunter (Fred Dryer) prepares for a showdown with escaped murderess Iris Smith (Cec Verrell) on the "anniversary" of the day he sent her to prison. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1989
In the second episode of a three-part story, Hunter (Fred Dryer) continues his search for a serial killer who preys on authority figures, beginning with a phy-ed teacher at a violence-ridden high school. Meanwhile, a mysterious neighborhood vigilante has been targetting those whom he regards as criminals who have slipped through the cracks of justice. And while working undercover as a teacher, McCall (Stepfanie Kramer) is exposed by the leader of a teenage gang which uses high-tech weaponry. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
